Anxiety After Quitting Smoking

There can be gain and anxiety after quitting smoking. I know that many people are trying to quit smoking right now and now that we are in the third

weekend of the new year they are really struggling to keep away from the cigarettes. I wanted to let you know that I understand how tough things are but the end is in sight and you will not have that urge anymore.

Here are a couple things that bother a lot of people and get them thinking that smoking is not so bad. If you need a little more help then please go to the quit smoking resource I trust

Anxiety after quitting smoking

Anxiety after quitting smoking

One of the concerns that many people have is gain and anxiety after quitting smoking.

Weight gain after quitting smoking is actually one of the reasons why many people refuse to quit and why others will start smoking again when they see that they are starting to gain unwanted pounds.

Most people will notice some gain when they quit smoking and on average the increase in will be approximately five pounds.

There are however many ways to make sure that you won’t put on and these are healthy lifestyle choices such as the correct food and good exercise.

Considering the major benefits you will be making to your health both now and in the future by quitting smoking you might as well go all the way and boost your fitness levels too.

The advantages of quitting outweigh gain after quitting smoking

Smoking does help people to keep their down and some fashion models smoke cigarettes because the nicotine in them speeds up the metabolism and that helps to burn fat due to the increased demand for energy. By burning more calories to supply the energy demands it is easier to remain thinner.

In addition to speeding up the metabolism nicotine acts like a stimulant and that can help to suppress the appetite.

A third way that nicotine helps people to stay thinner is because it causes the food to stay in the stomach longer and reduce the feelings of hunger.

These are definitely not good enough reasons to keep up the nicotine habit!

So you will need to make some lifestyle changes to avoid anxiety after quitting smoking. The easiest and most obvious step to take is to make sure that you are drinking enough water throughout the day.

This will help you to remain hydrated and it will also give you a fuller feeling in your stomach that will reduce the amount of hunger pangs you get.

This will stop you from eating excessively and it will also help to boost your energy levels which will make it easier for you to do some form of exercise that will help to boost your metabolism in much the same manner as the nicotine has done but without the negative effects on your health.

This is not to say that gain and anxiety after quitting smoking is unavoidable as a good percentage of people will actually lose weight. Just monitor your and no matter which direction it goes in you will always be better off from quitting even if you do gain a few pounds.

Anxiety problems while quitting smoking

Many people use the effects that nicotine can deliver to self medicate for depression and anxiety. It has been shown that the nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes can help to improve the mood of a person and also to lessen the effects of anxiety.

While this is a temporary fix there is a need to tackle the underlying problem that is causing the depression as it can lead to more serious consequences.

Depression after Quitting Smoking

It is also very difficult to quit smoking when you are feeling depressed as the withdrawal symptoms that can come from quitting smoking and not getting the nicotine fix can cause a person to feel depressed.

By treating the depression properly with counseling, medication or other means a person will have a better chance of quitting smoking.

Anxiety attacks will also need to be sorted before any attempts at quitting smoking are attempted as once again cigarettes contain chemicals that help to release norepinephrine which lessens the effect of anxiety and depression.

Without the cigarettes to release norepinephrine a person who is feeling depressed or anxious is likely to have increased levels of anxiety and this makes it difficult for them to maintain their composure when on a program to stop smoking.

This is a situation where other alternative methods of quitting smoking such as hypnosis and acupuncture can help add support to mainstream method such as nicotine patches, pills and gum.

Yoga is an excellent discipline to train the correct breathing techniques and by using these techniques in times of stress and anxiety similar feelings of control to those achieved from smoking can be experienced without the detrimental affect to health.

Quit Smoking Now Program

So what if it is really that easy? What if all your beliefs about how hard it is going to be to quit are completely false? What if, after just one session of hypnotherapy or NLP you find it incredibly easy to become and remain a happy, confident non-smoker for life?

The reason why hypnotherapy & NLP are so successful is because both our beliefs about smoking and our habitual smoking behaviours reside within your unconscious mind. So whilst consciously we may wish to quit, all too often our all powerful unconscious mind simply would not let us.

If you are quitting smoking and notice increased levels of anxiety it might be necessary to use a higher strength medication for your nicotine replacement and drop the strength at a slower rate to help cope with the changes.

Getting started quitting and staying off the tobacco can be hard but it is so incredibly satisfying to know that you are improving your life and that you have quit for good so you may need more help quitting smoking. Weight gain and anxiety after quitting smoking can be avoided but make sure you quit smoking no matter what.

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It’s tough isn’t it. You stop smoking, feel good for doing so and then BAM a few
weeks in, all the anxiety and sadness and loss and depressed mood set in for the
duration. I’m 45 days not smoking and I feel like garbage. My feelings are of rage, anger
and wanting to somehow relieve the pressure by running and running and not stopping
running. The “keyed-up” WAY to much energy feeling is with me also. Even though i try and
exhaust myself it doesn’t seem to be enough. My body feels like it wants to be at a dance party
just going for days or weeks without stopping. No sense of calm or ease which is what i hear
your suppose to feel because nicotine is a stimulant.
I relate to wanting to punch the wall, scream at the top of my lungs. For me the ultimate fantasy at the moment
would be to have a baseball bat and a room full of china and smash the living daylights out if it!!!
I might go to a greek restaurant, although id lose control im sure.
Anyone know why this happens and how to combat it?

I feel the EXACT same way. I am 45 days into quitting and I do not know if I can take it anymore. I feel so much rage and anger that it is scary. I feel like every muscle in my body is so tight and I have a constant tense feeling, no matter what I do. Sorry I am no help on what to do, but I thought it was just me feeling this way.

It’s tough isn’t it. You stop smoking, feel good for doing so and then BAM a few
weeks in, all the anxiety and sadness and loss and depressed mood set in for the
duration. I’m 45 days not smoking and I feel like garbage. My feelings are of rage, anger
and wanting to somehow relieve the pressure by running and running and not stopping
running. The “keyed-up” WAY to much energy feeling is with me also. Even though i try and
exhaust myself it doesn’t seem to be enough. My body feels like it wants to be at a dance party
just going for days or weeks without stopping. No sense of calm or ease which is what i hear
your suppose to feel because nicotine is a stimulant.
I relate to wanting to punch the wall, scream at the top of my lungs. For me the ultimate fantasy at the moment
would be to have a baseball bat and a room full of china and smash the living daylights out if it!!!
I might go to a greek restaurant, although id lose control im sure.
Anyone know why this happens and how to combat it? Im not going on sedatives as thats a slippery slope,
but it would be nice to just calm down!!

After smoking for well over 20 years, and chewing tobacco for well over 5, I finally decided to quit tobacco 19 weeks ago. I used the patch for the first 10 weeks; slowly weening myself to the smallest dosage and then coming off altogether. I have been nicotine free now for 9 weeks. I had no issues with Anxiety or increased Weight gain during the use of the patch. However, within a week of coming off the patch (cutting nicotine completely from my system), I started to gain and the anxiety has settled in quite nicely.
9 weeks into Nicotine cessation and I have been exercising to curb the gain (I have gained almost 20 pounds). However, the anxiety is still posing a problem. I have anxiety attacks daily where I feel as if I will explode into a fireball if I don’t get up and do something. The only thing that seems to stop them is exercise and I’m not talking about going for a stroll or sitting on an exercise bike at home watching TV. In order to get my anxiety to go away, I have to work up a serious cardio sweat usually jogging, hiking, or bycicle riding. If I work myself hard enough and push my lungs to full capacity, then the enxiety will go away; sometimes for a couple of days.
I think the problem is completely physiological and that the mind and body need time to relearn how to cope without nicotine. I think its endorphine related. In the meantime, I need to find a way to cope through the episodes without medication; and I think I have found it.

I just thought maybe this would help some people who are experiencing the same issues.

Hi there, I am on week 7 of nictine patches and have a history of anxiety – I have good days and bad days now where I feel the anxiety starting but manage to get through it just like you with vigorous exercise and some homeopathic remedies. I am on my 5mg from tomorrow and going to do them for 3 weeks – I almost find peace in the fact that you were on the same path as me. So now that time as passed I would be really interested to see how you are feeling – please let me know.

i have quit smoking for three weeks now,yes i am eating more,i quit cold turkey after 30 years of smoking.
i just started exersing again,and im slowly loosing instead of gaining.
i have noticed an increase in anxiety,which i have always had panic disorder.
if you eat right,drink water,6 small meals a day
and exercise,,,you ill loose .
as far as the anxiety,i will keep up with my anxiety meds….good luck dont smoke cigs…….

Can anyone please help me…? My spouse quit smoking after 14 years, hasn’t had a cig in about 4 months. He had crazy anxiety at first, and I was tolerant and patient, I know its withdrawal. But it hasn’t gotten better, if anything its worse now than ever. He gets ridiculously mad for small things (even things that aren’t bad, like having to change the sheets or brush the dog), and now and then just blows up. We’ve had broken items in the house, food flung across the room. This last weekend it ALL came out at me (I realize I’m an easy target being the spouse, but that is NOT an okay change in my book). I finally blew up (keep in mind this is 6 months into the process of quitting/have quit) yesterday after an amazingly hostile weekend.

I seriously think he needs to be on anti-depressants, but he’s military and won’t do anything that impacts his work (he can’t “legally” do his job on a lot of common medicines). What can I do? It seriously feels like total destruction here, and I can’t imagine putting “he quit smoking” on divorce paperwork…

Hi there,
I know what you’re husband and you are going through. There were three of us at home that smoked. All quit cold-turkey, all at once. It was hell. Really. After about a month I got turned onto an e-cigarette. Instant gratification. I had something in my hand (the crutch). I could take a toke anytime, anywhere I wanted (which relieved an enormous amount of anxiety). The exercise of inhaling something to fill my lungs was completely satisfying. I didn’t even turn my roommates on to it. I just hit that thing in front of them. One try and they never, ever put it down. I was able to pull away from the e-cig about two months later. No anxiety, no withdrawals, no smoke. Get him one. I recommend a brand, but I’m not here to promote a brand. I’m here to tell you there is an instant, total, and painless solution.

Hey i just wanted to know something been reading everyone status about quit smoking and all..
i quit smoking because i had an anxiety attack… and yes i been eating like crazy as well. it dose feel good to eat but at the same time yuk… i wanted to know by quiting smoking can it corse another attack??? dnot understand please help me!!!

i have noticed that since i have quit smoking apx 5 months ago, yes i have gained over 40 pounds…i have also noticed that my stress and anxiety and panic attacks have caused a lot of problems in my life…i am now taking muscle relaxers, valum, anxiety pills, and anti-inflamatory pills…what is the cause of this…can you explain this…i had none of this while i was smoking, but now that i havestoped this is what i got out of me….